Thoroughly Modern Millie Controversy at Local High School

This Boston Globe by Ellen Ishkanian article talks about the controversy surrounding Newton North High School’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Read the article to find out how students, parents, and administration responded to the outcry regarding the show’s racial stereotypes of Asian Americans.

In this Boston Globe article by Don Aucoin, he highlights the issues surrounding producing plays that come from “problematic source material, as in the case of Thoroughly Modern Millie, and says that one of the underlying issues is that older plays haven’t caught up to our increasing diversity. He also highlights our production of Neighbors by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for using stereotypes to show the racial assumptions we still make in today’s world. Read the article here.

UPDATE:

This column from the Boston Globe talks about high schools feeling fearful of producing certain plays due to content. Read the column here.

In this editorial also from the Boston Globe, the writer talks about how producing controversial plays can prove educational to students. Read the opinion piece here.